Since the beginning of the Pandemic, the rise of the Mental Health Market grew by 5.3% in the US only. Therapy began to break the stigma of being something relegated to a specific group of people and became something that belonged to the collective. With more time spent inside and isolated from others, most workers began to struggle with their social skills, anxiety and overall mental health, therefore, they were forced to find an outlet to speak about their conflicts.
The flexible nature of online therapy benefited not only users but providers and therapists across the world because even though patients were not necessarily obliged to meet their therapists at their dispatch and could have a session from the comfort of their own home.
For therapists, who happened to offer their services online, this became a great opportunity to showcase their enterprises or freelance consultations. Yet, to some of them, it became difficult to understand how the online market worked, and more specifically, how to make their way into a world that involved marketing, social media and tech-savvy.
However, it is not as complicated as it sounds.
Picture this: Your friend Danny is a psychologist that started his own company to provide therapy services for anyone located in Texas, but mostly in Austin where he is from. His business, ‘Healthia’ is a safe space for anyone looking forward to starting their process with therapy and finding the right professional that adjusts to their needs.
Danny had a great start. He created a website that is easy to use and helpful for people looking for either individual therapy or couples therapy, additionally, he hired a social media manager to update their Instagram account. Though an obstacle seems to stop Danny’s plans: he is not getting as many clients as he thought he would.
This cannot only be discouraging for Danny but to his peers, who provide their services to his platform. How could Danny improve the amount of traffic he gets on his website and ‘Healthia’?
The answer is easy: SEO Google My Business.
What is Google My Business?
Google My Business is a tool that could rapidly help your small business compete with large companies. It gives small businesses the chance to be found through a simple search and showcase helpful information about their physical store or online service area. Since it is a personalised tool, owners can customise data like:
Pictures of the venue
Schedule updates
Share contact information
Add business hours
Include your business's website
Then, how does creating a Google Business Profile help boost a business for Therapists?
Firstly it is important to point out that there are different types of traffic. For starters, Google is the world’s biggest search engine, in fact, it makes up 87% of the online search market. Online traffic is essential to optimise your website and earn a higher rank on the search engine results pages (SERPS) a.k.a, the page you see after entering a query into Google. We know it might seem confusing…
But let us explain. In a B2B space, like digital marketing, it is essential to track the high and low volumes of searches to accelerate the process of approaching a niche market.
Let’s have a look at Danny’s business again. As the owner of ‘Healthia’ he not only needs to attract potential new users who desire to improve their mental health, but also he needs to look after the professionals that provide the lifeline of the services on his platform. For this reason, future users might want to have a way to contact you directly, visit your website and scroll through your social media profiles all at once and from the same page.
Therefore, building a platform in which clients can connect with you and your services directly is key to attracting more traffic to your website. SEO Google My Business can be the perfect ally for that because of the multiple customised data that can be included in it.
Still unsure about how Google My Business works? 76% of local searches result in a visit within 24 hours, so book a free consultation to optimize your SEO Google My Business.
How to improve SEO on Google My Business and Rank First?
With the increase of local businesses comes an increase in competition. Therefore, securing the chances of getting noticed by your clients is essential for your business to prosper.
But, if you’re still feeling a little lost or have no clue of where to start let us guide you through your process:
1. Check on those businesses that are doing something similar to you
Like any other field in life, competition is part of the road to success, but a match wouldn’t be a competition without some healthy rivalry.
Learn how to advertise your business from what makes it stand out among others. For instance, if Danny is looking to boost ‘Healthia’ online then he must study other companies that offer similar services, for example, 'HeadSpace’, ‘BetterHelp’ and or ‘TalkSpace’ and understand the similarities they have with his business idea. He studies their services, the cost of each session, the functionality of their platform and even their design: how visually pleasing is it? What colour scheme do they use? Do they follow the same design on their Instagram posts? Is their website linked to their Google My Business Profile?
All these aspects, which seem minimal, are actually important qualities that visitors notice and take into account. Therefore, scanning through potential competitors is the key to making your business stand out among others and attracting future clients.
To resume: you can optimise your SEO Google My Business based on your competitor analysis findings, making sure all of your profile’s areas are filled out using targeted keywords or SEO Words.
2. Stand out from others by implementing Keywords
To keep it short, Keywords or SEO Words are ideas or topics that define what the content you’re trying to advertise is about in our terms, they are words and phrases that searchers enter into search engines, also known as ‘search queries’.
This means that they are basically the bridge between people’s inquiries and your content, therefore your business’ goal is to drive organic traffic to your site from the search engine result pages which keywords will help you set a target.
But how to arrange these keywords strategically in your SEO Google My Business?
Dividing them into categories: Set the Primary Category to whichever makes the most sense based on the services
The topics you choose to promote are essential for reaching your target audience and increasing search traffic. In a B2B space, like digital marketing, it is essential to track the high and low volume of searches to accelerate the process of approaching a niche market, while using the broad keyboard of Google to type those keywords and scan through the options.
Describing your business in a way that stands out among others is a way to pick the right keywords that represent your business. Before we go any further, here is an example:
Danny’s business, ‘Healthia’ is built around improving the user’s mental health, a platform that allows them to have therapy sessions. For instance, his ideal description would fit something like this:
‘Healthia’ is a platform that provides therapy for those who are interested in improving their mental health, learning to love and care for themselves and living a happier lifestyle in Austin, Texas. Our professionals guarantee personalised attention to each of the user’s emotions for them to follow their welfare path. Taking care of yourself has never been easier and tailor-made, with ‘Healthia’ you’ll be able to access therapy from anywhere in Texas at any time, with more than 80+ specialists ready to help you and schedule an appointment in less than 5 minutes.
Pick a keyword that represents your company, its purpose and its brand.
3. Include the keywords on your business name
Include your keyword in your Google My Business name.
Danny’s business is called ‘Healthia’, however, he could improve the chances of being found online by adding a short description to its name. For example: ‘Healthia’: therapy at the reach of your fingertips.
Remember that you must include your business name, type of business and location.
Google will reward businesses that fill out all attributes
Nowadays it is vital to detach from other businesses by showcasing what makes your company different and rare. For instance, it is important to list the attributes that compliment the brand of your business such as:
Having a platform available to schedule a date no matter the time zone
More than 80+ specialists available to help you
Treat conditions like depression, anxiety or even an ED
Follow your appointments from anywhere at any time, because they’re virtual!
Have personalised reminders for each appointment
Optimizing your Google My Business could bring 230% more website visitors. Click here to get started.
4. Add a description
Potential customers can connect with your business through different channels, whether it's social media or your website, it is essential to make them work synchronically. Google Business Profile is basically a tool for free advertising, therefore standing out from your competitors is key.
Providing a detailed description of your business and staple achievements will make clients attracted to your company, using relevant keywords as well as prioritising marketing strategies (through social media) will boost your online traffic.
Therefore, retaking Danny’s business example:
‘Healthia’ is a platform that provides therapy for those who are interested in bettering their mental health, learning to love and care for themselves and living a happier lifestyle. Our professionals guarantee personalised attention to each of the user’s emotions for them to follow their welfare path. Taking care of yourself has never been easier and tailor-made, with ‘Healthia’ you’ll be able to access therapy from anywhere in Europe at any time, with more than 80+ specialists ready to help you and schedule an appointment in less than 5 minutes.
5. Add your products and services
Being specific is not something that should be overlooked by users who are just getting familiar with how SEO Google My Business works, on the contrary, that small detail can come in handy when filling in their Profile information.
In a Business Profile, you may get an option to add the services you offer, along with their descriptions and prices. If your business has multiple categories, group services together into sections under the appropriate category to keep your services organised.
If we studied Danny’s case it would be:
Therapy with specialised professionals
Therapy appointments available in Texas
80+ specialists available
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6. Add a description to each service
Describing a service in Google My Business can be as important as giving a good elevator pitch of your project or business idea. If potential clients don’t understand or don’t have a detailed description of the services your business provides then, they most likely won't contact you or get involved with your business.
A few words can really make a difference when it comes to setting your business apart from competitors, therefore providing clear and concise information about your different services can be beneficial for your brand.
7. Add payment options
Let’s go back to our friend Danny's case and explore ‘Healthia’ a bit more. One of the benefits of joining ‘Healthia’s’ community is that anyone in Texas can access therapy from any of their countries no matter their time zone. Therefore, its platform would also have to involve (web-based) inclusive payment methods:
Credit/Debit Cards
PayPal
Apple Pay
Google Pay
App payment
Making sure to include the variety of options clients have to purchase an item or acquire a service from their venue will make your business more approachable and will make their experience with your business effortless.
In hindsight: taking these factors into account will make a huge difference in how your business approaches potential clients and reaches its target! Start boosting your online traffic or SEO!
Looking to open a Google My Business account? Let Merchynt give you a hand.
About Merchynt:
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